Of Twilights and new Dawns

Location: Equestria, Canterlot, The castle of the Princess

Time: Around the time of Sunset

A heavy sign comes from Princess Celestia. The older sister of the two diarchess, a beautiful alicorn with an alabaster white coat and ethereal mane, multicolored mane, which always flow, stands one of the balconies of the castle, in front of her a telescope.

It’s time for Celestia to lower the sun so that Luna can raise her moon, marking the time the shift, where Luna stands in the throne room and hold the night court. Although it had been a long day, Celestia didn’t have the intention to go early into her chambers.

“Are you alright sister?”, came from behind her.

Celestia turns her head around and so she sees her sister Luna arriving. She puts in a smile on her face. “It’s nothing to worry about sister.”

Luna, the other diarchess of Equestria, also Princess of Dreams and Moon, shakes her wings. Her horn light up, as she uses her magic to levitate a cup of Celestia’s favorite tea to her. As Luna stands beside her sister, the differences between the sister become clear. While Celestia was only a bit taller than Luna, their coats and mane are different like day and night. While Celestia has an alabaster white coat with a mane with colors from light, meanwhile Luna has a midnight blue coat, with different shades of dark blue and black in her mane. Still, both share some traits. Both of their manes seem to flow through the air, although no wind breeze around them, most importantly both emitted the aura of leadership, so when they’re around their subjects they can be the necessary strong princesses they need. But right now, only both are there, so that there isn’t the need for the princesses so that they could be the mares, Luna and Celestia.

“Please sister. Don’t lie to me”, Luna say to Celestia. “Something clouds your mind.”

Celestia levitates the cup to her mouth, still, she keeps her smile. “From where do you get the idea something is on my mind.” She starts to nip at her tea. “You look like someone had eaten the last bit of your cake.”

This makes Celestia spitting her tea out. “LULU.” She raises her hoof, while she coughs the last bit of it out. She throws a glance to her sister, looking if she laughs, but Luna didn’t. She had a stern face on.

Celestia opens her maw but closes it quick, because no words came out. Feeling that Luna will stare at her, she takes a deep breath in and out. “You know what day will come?”

Luna keep her face. “Yes… that day”.

Celestia release a loud sigh. “Yes, dear sister. The anniversary of the day Twilight Sparkle was abducted right before our very eyes.”

She closes her eyes, recalling the memories of this very day…

Flashback…

Celestia arrives with Luna and a delegation of their guards at the Castle of Friendship. The former apprentice of Celestia and now the fourth Princess of Equestria, the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, had sent a message, saying that she found some strange things and that she needs the Princess to give a look at it.

Some the Princesses and guards arrived at the Castle, where they get greeted by Twilight and her friends, the Elements of Harmony. “Thank for your coming your highnesses” Twilight bow down, making Celestia smiling.

“Dear, you are a princess too, you don’t need to bow.” the sun alicorn teases her former student.

Twilight blushed a bit, because that habit is still in her, although she ascended to princesshood. “So, I better show you about what I wrote.” Twilight had stammered, in try to overcome this moment.

Luna and some of the guards gave a small snicker, hiding behind hooves and wings, but none of the Mane 6 or Celestia had seen and hear it.

So, with a fast pace, they walked to their destination, a clearing near the Evergreen Forest. As soon as they had reached it, all stopped at the sight.

In the clearing had happened some magic incident, as remnants of raw magic were still in it, as puddles of multicolored water or twisted trees. But the most outstanding thing was the alien things standing before some sort of Ring.

“Oh dear.” Luna says.

“Indeed sister.” Celestia agrees. Both stare with gaping maws at the things. Celestia turns to Twilight. “When and more importantly how did you found them?”

Twilight shrugs her wings. “The pegasi had spotted them. After this storm last night, Rainbow had ordered some of the pegasi to recon the area outside of Ponyville, to look if there is damage to the area. After flying near the forest one of them spotted this clearing. They came to us and so we came here.” She pointed to the things in the clearing. “After I had done some research in my library, finding out that nothing about them is in the books, I had sent through Spike a letter to you.” The alicorn explains with a professional voice, still, Celestia could hear the undertone in her declaration. Anger that these things didn’t stand in the books and excitement that these things are new things and the possibilities that of the things they could learn.

So, eager Twilight set a hoof on the clearing. Celestia follows and looks at the alien structure. The ring was something she didn’t have seen before, still, something about it gives her a tingle down her spine, but she couldn’t put a hoof on it what it could be. So instead she focuses on the other things.

They resemble some sort of bipedal creatures, like Minotaur or a Diamond Dog, but still, there is a difference. They are in a crouching position, which makes it harder to see how tall they are, but even in their current state all towers an inch over Luna and are equal tall to Celestia. Their great high indicate that these things are naturally tall, but also their armor could be because of it.

They wear some sort of armor, which makes them bulkier than a Minotaur, also the armor covers the entire body. Their “hooves” are really big, while their front hooves are different from the hind hooves, as the right front hooves look like some sort of stump, while the left resembles a three digit-claw. The helm makes it impossible to see the face of the creature. A small scratch force Celestia to look at one of her guards. Said Guard, a brown Pegasus called Fierce Striker, had taken his spear and poked the creature.

Besides the noise, the only thing he did was a small scratch in the armor. “Princess these things are heavily armored. I would retreat and come back with more guards. They could be hostile.”Striker was a veteran guard, who had fought some hard fights.

He may be only a Lieutenant of the Solar Guard, still, Celestia knows him and trust in his option. “Yes, that would be a good idea.”

Just as another guard, a yellow unicorn, named Glowing Shield walked near another of these things. Something catches his eyes. He walks closer and cast a small illumination spell, as he tries to give him a better light as he wanted to see something better.

But this must have triggered something. Because suddenly a strange noise appears. A high noted pitch, followed by a series of beeping noises. Then as the last beep faded each of the creatures stands up, taking full height. Now they are around 7’ tall, making everyone small in comparison. On the dozen creature bearing an addition mark on his helm, a red stripe on it takes some steps forward to Glowing Shield.

Said guard back up a few steps while everyone also gaps with open maws. But after a moment of shock, the rest of the guards quickly remembers their training. They drew their weapons and get them in attack position.

The creature stands near Shield and lowers his head, seemingly looking at him. “Ahh, hi” he weakly says, still casting his spell. But without any warning, the creature grabs with his claw Shield neck and pull him up. It then holds him so that his eyes are seemingly on the same level like his eyes, while his stump starts to emit some light, which wanders all over the unicorn’s body, while it starts to make sounds in the strange high-pitched beeps, accompanied by the sounds of the frighten unicorn, who tries to fight against his seemingly capture.

Celestia, sensing that her guards start to raise their level of aggression, she decides to interfere. Quickly walks over to both. This wasn’t maybe the best choice as her guards tighten their grip on their weapons, while the other creature raised their stumps, indicating that there are armed. “Welcome strange creature. Please put down your weapons. We are peaceful people and don’t wish any conflict.” She raises on over her hooves trying to get an answer.

The leader seems to hear that, as he walks towards her, carrying the unicorn in his claw. At first, his still makes the beeping noises and then makes a break, seemingly waiting for an answer. After a while, he repeats his noises. “I don’t understand you. But could you please put my guard down?” The diarchess tries to negotiate.

The creature stands still for a moment before it suddenly starts to speak in a language. “Possible resource detected. Say, native. Do you know about this resource?”

At first, all are shocked because this wears the first shared words, but before Celestia even overcome her shocked Twilight was at her side. “What you mean. Do you mean our magic?” she asks, already having a scroll and feather in her magic grab, writing down some things.

As soon as the creature focus on the lavender alicorn, Tartarus broke loose. It throws Shield away and quickly tries to grab the alicorn. “Strong potential found. Protocols activated. Acquire Target Alpha.”

With its claw, it tries to grabs Twilight, would only escape by a quick jump backward. The other machines start their doing. Their stomps start to emits some strange buzzing noise, and as one of the lunar guards, a bat pony mare called Midnight Thrist, starts to take a step forward, the creature points at her and his stomp fire some sort of magic ball at her. Midnight was quick on her hooves and jumps to her side in order to dodge, but the ball still hits her left wing… and suddenly the air was filled with the smell of burned flesh, cooked bones and her hellish screams of raw pain.

Celestia was setback at this display of violence. Twilight and her friends were frozen, as they hadn’t witnessed such violence before. Rarity and Fluttershy are even looking like both will faint. Celestia didn’t mind that. In her long life, she had witnessed the old times, where greater threats like wild dragons were more common, so she had seen a pony burned alive by a fire before, still witnessing this again, even after a millennium of peace, it shocked her deep to her core.

But while she remained frozen her guards broke out of their stance and move to attack. They had forgotten their fear, instead, they want revenge for their fellow guards. Among them was Luna. She had regained her stance and charge her own horn. “You should regret you’re doing.” She screamed in her Canterlot voice, then she fired a magic beam on the creature who shoot her guard.

The enemy stood still and face the attack head on, seemingly don’t fear her power or he had such trust in his armor. The night blue magic blast hit him right in his upper torso and partly his head… The blast simply goes through him. At first, it didn’t seem to do any damage, making Celestia wonders which spell Luna cast in her anger, but as the blast hit a tree behind the enemy, it becomes clear. The blast hit the tree and simply eradicate him, leaving no trace behind. The enemy still stands, but now the damage was clear.

The part, where he was hit, his upper body and head, was no more. It was eradicated and everyone could have a view of the inside, especially after it had fallen like a tree. And what was now visible shocks everyone.

Inside the enemy were wires, pipes, rigs and other strange conceptions no one could understand. “They are golems!” Twilight was the first to say something.

This makes the guards starting their attack with full force. Why should they hold back? This thing are no living things, only golems, dolls and they can be destroyed.

All of the guard’s attack. They thrust their spires onto the golems. They puncture their weak points, like the joints. The unicorns stay a bit in the background casting more of the magic blasts and shield around the other guards. The princesses support them in the casting. Rainbow supports the pegasi guards and together they distract the golems though dive attacks, meanwhile Applejack uses her strong hind legs, training through years of apple bucking, and kicks at them, breaking them into tiny bits, while Pinkie Pie uses her confetti cannon. It sounds maybe strange but her cannon is as effectively in blowing the golems into pieces like the magic blasts, although it still fires confetti. But Spike, who had accompanied the group, was the most effective fighter, as his fire melt the golems and his claws cut through their joints like a knife passes through butter.

Soon more and more of the enemy golems fall and only three, including the leader, are still standing, the rest broken into wrecks, while the Equestrians avoided more casualties. Rarity and Fluttershy, who didn’t actively fight with them take care of the wounded Midnight and the blacked out Glowing Shield.

Celestia was relieved over this stand in the battle that she makes the biggest mistake of all… she drops her guard for a moment. And this very moment was all the enemy needed. The nearest golems suddenly jump at her with an enormous speed, coming in so fast that Celestia didn’t see him coming until the very last moment. The claw shoots forward, razor sharp tips ready to dig into her neck.

But suddenly she feels a push, knocking her away. One guard, a green/brown earth pony pushed her aside so that the claw grips his head instead of her neck. The golem didn’t really seem to care that he missed his target. Instead, he simply closes his claw around the armored head of the guard.

At first, the helm seems to withstand, but then it starts to deform… and with it the head of the guard. At this moment, he started to scream out his pain… but only for a moment as the golem increased the pressure of his claw. The screams tenfold before they were silenced with a sickening crack, as the bones of the skulls breaks. From one moment to the next the guard change from a living being screaming out his pain, into a lifeless corpse without a head. The golem opens his claw, letting the corpse fall onto the ground.

Celestia was again set back. She didn’t know the name of the guard at first, but after a moment she remembers. “No, no, no… Iron Head.” It was one of her veteran guards. He was older than the most guards in the detachment, still, he was the most experienced one.

But what was really the point… he had a family. The alicorn of the sun knows his family, as he had often taken them with him, when he was at duty, giving his child the possibility to meet Celestia. And she knows that his daughter had given birth to his first grandchild not even a day ago. “…princess, my little princess had given birth to a strong filly. I can’t wait to see this little one. If she comes after her mother, oh then I will have a hard time…” he had said that to her at the morning. Iron wanted to meet his grandchild and now he is dead.

Again, Celestia could only stare at the corpse. The golem seems to have a twisted mind. As if it wanted to taunt Celestia more, the golem kicks the body and send him flying into a near tree, like some broken toy. As the body hits the tree, it gets more damage than before. This utter defiance of life was too much for her. Inside of her a dark spark appears and break free. She focusses it in her horn.

The horn started to glow and so the golem. The magic set it ablaze, making it scream in his own language, the beeping noises. The heat and fire weren't the real problem, as the magic damage it through another way… it put pressure on it and press into a ball. In just a few moments the Golem was compressed into a small ball, before the glow increased hundredfold and then vanish, together with the reminds of the golem, as it was completely burned into ash.

As soon as the casting stopped, sheer atony overcomes Celestia. She falls on her hooves. Her sister right by her side. “Are you alright sister?” Luna asks, her voice full of panic.

The white alicorn wanted to calm her sister, when suddenly she becomes aware of something far more shocking, the blood-curdling scream of somepony. Celestia turns her head to the source and then she stops dead in her tracks, as she sees the reason.

The leader Golem had his claw around Twilight and pull the alicorn with him. The alicorn struggles, but in vain as the golem simply overpower her and then injects something into her neck, seemingly some sort of narcotic, because Twilight suddenly stops all movement and become a simple limp in his hand.

The golem jumps fastback and walk over to the ring structure. And to her sheer shock Celestia sees, that the Ring was active. In the heat of the battle she didn’t pay attention to it. So, she didn’t have seen how it activated. It has a surface like water, but she couldn’t make out any details behind it.

And then Celestia was forced to witness the most brutal act she was forced to see in her life… Right before her eyes the Golem walks through the portal, in his claw the body of her student. The surface shifts as they walked through it and shift back into his calm state.

A rage filled scream sounded and a blue blast of magic was shot on the last remain golem ripping of his claw just above the elbow. What was shocking that Rarity had fired this blast. Her mascara was ruined as her tears washed it out. The golem staggers a few steps back, he raised his stump weapon, just as a small shoulder mounted weapon appear too, but before he even shoots one time, two things happen. A loud blast sounded and bluer flew over him and in a blink of a second, his stomp and shoulder weapon were blown away, thanks to Pinkie’s cannon and a wing blade Rainbow had used.

The golem stood shocked for a moment, now weaponless. Something like this wasn’t foreseen, so he was forced to develop a plan, based on his limited orders and intelligent programmed into his mind. But since he stood still for making his plan it was an easy target for his next attackers. It had been Applejack and surprisingly Fluttershy. The normally shy pegasi had now forgotten all of her shy personality, as the fear over her friend had taken over. Somehow, she had changed, as she has now fangs and wings like a bat pony, as well red eyes. And these eyes had locked on her target, her prey. With a quick and well place jump, she closed the distance and buries her fangs in one of the legs of the golem, piercing into the armor and starts to tug on the leg. With a strength, she normally didn’t have or show she ripped its leg of right in the joint, making him fall backward, only to get his shoulders impaled on the claws of Spike.

The young dragon was full of rage over the abduction of his mother. His body had changed too. Like a few years back he grew in size so that he was now the same high as Celestia. The outstanding feature was that he has now wings, but also, he got over changes. His spines were longer, as well his claw, but these also get sharper. He screams out his rage and pulls the golem in the air, lifting him off the ground, rendering him useless, as he was faced to developed a new strategy.

But the golem didn’t have time to react to this new turn, as Applejack was the last of to attack. The orange earth pony had jumped in the air, used a tree as jump station and then uses her built up momentum in combination with her strength to buck the golem, who was still held up by Spike.

The normally strong armor on them couldn’t stop or hold against the raw strength of the harden legs of the farmer, trained and honed through years of farm work, in combination with the built-up momentum, built up through the jump from the tree. But most the kick was enhanced with her fury, which was beyond all measures. So, as the kick made contact which the armor it didn’t simply hit the armor… it simply shatters the waist, effectively cutting the golem in half. Spike now throw the legless body behind him, near the ring, but not without ripping the shoulders out.

So, in just a few moments the Golem was reduced from the full form into a cripple, without his claw, stomp, shoulder weapon and he didn’t even have legs so that he couldn’t crawl away.

Wasting no time Rainbow landed, very hard, on the defeated enemy. “Give us back Twilight. Open the bucking ring you used. OPEN IT” she screams out of her lungs in a voice loud enough to be heard even in Cloudsday.

The machine first didn’t respond. It’s “eyes”, lens without iris, blinks, and sums before it speaks up, something only the leader unit was thought to be capable.

“

…

Status of Mission: Mission accomplished. Sample captured.

…

Status of Platoon: All Units are disabled.

…

Chance of recovery through friendly unit: Zero percent

…

Status of Unit: Damage over 96 percent. All weapons destroyed. Legs destroyed.

…

Chance of Repair: Zero

…

Status of Damage: Unable to continue fight, unable to retried

…

Status of enemy: Numerous enemy still active, Intentions for capture found

…

Result of analyses: Mission accomplished. Platoon destroyed. Individual unit unable to recover

…

Addition: Individual unit in high danger of getting captured.

…

…

…

Activation of Cole Protocol…”

At first, nothing happens, making Rainbow wonders what this could mean. Suddenly an ear-piercing scratch sounded, forcing her to cover her ears, like the rest.

Celestia looks at the golem, ready to cast a magic spell, engulfing it in a mute capsule, but was puzzled when she sees that the mauled Golem started to generate sparks.

She and Luna, who also looked were both confused, simple look at the golem. Suddenly Rainbow Dash’s whole body was engulfed in a violent spell and forcibly thrown towards the group, who also get pushed to the edge of the clearing, by a spell.

Both alicorns would normally withstand this, but the spell hit them off guard, so they couldn’t do anything against it. Still both sister, where the first one to recover and look at the culprit.

It was Glowing Shield, still with a bandage around his head. His horn emits a near blinding shine as he builds up a powerful spell. “Guard Glowing Shield, what are you doing?” Luna scream in her Canterlot voice, this sudden development makes her shift into authority mode.

Glowing Shield didn’t waste his breath for an answer as he completed building up his spell and was now casting it. He was beside the Golem and now both are engulfed in a magic bubble, a really strong defense bubble, with keep everything out, but also everything inside it.

At first, Celestia was puzzled why Glowing would do that, but then she comes to a conclusion. “Sister a shield around everyone”. She screams to her sister and quick they build up a spell and cast it. Sadly, not so powerful as she wished because then it happened what Glowing Shield had somehow foreseen and tried to prevent.

The golem explodes as the magic inside him, his own life force, was used as fuel for its death. In the first seconds the explosion was sealed in the spell of Shield, but soon the shield burst and the explosion soon expand over the clearing, devouring the ring and its own center.

For a moment Celestia feared that they will get hit too, but Glowing Shield’s spell had absorbed much of the power of it. Still the rest was enough to throw the other around, smashing them into ground and trees and snaps nearer trees in half.

Celestia was for a moment awake, seen the explosion before she hits her head hard and the world became dark.

Flashback end…

“Are you alright sister?”. Celestia was confused for a moment. Bewildered she looks at her sister. She needed a second to realize that she had lost herself in this memory and had stared into the air.

“Just lost myself in the memory.” Celestia said, knowing that lying would do nothing. Luna turns her head and looks in the same direction Celestia had stare. “I also had drifted into the memory, but more in the aftermath.” She confesses her sister.

Celestia’s her body shakes from this part. The alabaster alicorn had still some nightmare about it.

Another Flashback…

She had come to her senses after one guard had carefully nudged her. It had been Stubborn Holder, an earth pony guard, with a brown coat, black hair and a shield as cutie mark. Stubborn had some years on his list, but was already promoted to something higher than lieutenant, because he had given true to his name, stubborn he holds his position. Still, he was a loyal guard, who had come along and fought the golems.

At this thought Celestia jumps to her hooves, just to regret her movement as her entire body hurts, even her mane. “Stubborn”,she manages to say, more to push it out. “Princess, please restrain from any activity. You are hurt and need medical attention. We had already called for help. In a few moments helps will arrive.” He hushed to her in a tone mixed between worry and relief. In the distance, she could hear the faint beating of serval wings.

Celestia didn’t even witness the arrival as her power leaves her body, making her blackout again. She didn’t wake up until she and Luna were back in Canterlot in the royal infirmary.

It was evening when she wakes up and was great by Luna’s worried face. Both sisters shared a single, but the big bed (something Luna had requested) “Sister I’m glad you are awoken.” Luna didn’t waste another second and hugged carefully her sister.

The sister shared a moment of intimacy before Celestia broke this up. “Lulu, how are the others.” This was the moment Luna started to fully cry, out of both her eyes. Still, she tells Celestia everything… as she ended Celestia had joined in her crying.

Iron Head and Glowing Shield’s death were the ones she had witnessed still, some more guards, solar and lunar, died. They had died when the shockwave of the blast had hit them when the shield of the princess had fallen. One guard had been squashed by the sheer force, three others thrown into trees and stones, creating internal wounds, making them die on the spot, while another to live a couple of minutes only to die in the moment of the arrival of their help. And the last one had survived long enough, only to die in the OP.

Everyone else had several relatively small injuries, with Midnight the worst. Her wing up the base is so burned, that the doctors couldn’t help it and were forced to amputee the blackened bones and flesh, the remnants of her strong wing. She was now forced to walk on the earth, like an earth pony, as they couldn’t make her a prosthesis for this and magic couldn’t regrow her wing.

Celestia hasn’t cried so hard since Luna’s turning into Nightmare Moon and her 1000 years long banishment. The sister cried together for the entire night, trying to force reality out, thinking that it was only a nightmare before they had to face the harsh truth.

Later at the opening of the day court, Celestia sat on her throne, accompanied by her sister, the other elements of Harmony with Spike.

All in bandages for their injuries. Applejack sat in a wheelchair, as one of her legs is broken; Rainbow had rails on both of her wings, who are broken; Pinkie was forced to wear a helmet with a muzzle as her skull was damaged and her jaw was splintered. Fluttershy had a bandage over her body because some of the fire had engulfed her and burned her fur. Rarity has a broken horn and cuts all over her. She stands next to Spike; the dragon had coiled his tail around her hooves in a protective/ possessive manner. The dragon had broken several of his spines and claws, as well as the membrane of one of his new grown wings, was shredded.

The nobles who had to await the opening, as they wanted to come to the court to ask /bother the Royals with their problems were set back, by the look of the beaten and battered princesses, elements and guards. Especially the fresh arrived Princess Cadence and her husband, the former captain of the royal guard and Twilight BBBFF, Shining Armor, as well as her parents. Celestia notice their present, already making a mental note to either promote or demote the guard who contacted them.

Before even one could ask about the whole thing, something in Celestia broke free and she tells what happened in the fateful night. Luna occasional said something to, while all the elements and the dragon keep silent and didn’t flinch when Celestia told the fate of Twilight.

After she had finished silenced was all that one could hear in the court. Until one pony breaks the silence and starts to cry …

Flashback end…

In hindsight Celestia couldn’t decide what had been the worst of this court had been. The fact that it had happened, the stoic faces of the survivors or the reaction of the family of the dead ones. Luna had told her, that she could hear in some night the howling cries of the daughter of Iron Head and that the surviving guards had the nightmare from this fateful fight.

Knowing this weight Celestia down, also the fact that they couldn’t find a way to get Twilight back. When the golem self-destructs, forcing Glowing Shield into sacrificing himself, the resulting explosion destroyed any piece of the ring, which Celestia know that worked as a portal, as well as some Golem wrecks.

Still, they had salvage some other wrecks, allowing that the royal magician and scientist under the brilliant earth pony Dr. Whooves to analyses them.

They had come up with new intel, like the weaknesses of the golems, which flows into training, also they came up with counter spells for the stomp weapons.

But still, Celestia can’t lose the unrest in her. They may have new a better chance to defend themselves, but they could only react. Celestia had been forced to fight wars so long ago and she still remembers the force who only defend is the one, who will lose.

She sighs again. Knowing this put more pressure on the alicorn. The sudden feel someone nuzzle her check, Luna did that to give her some compassion. “Fear not sister. Now the night may be dark, but time will come that the mother will show mercy on us and enlighten our way.”

As Celestia opens her mouth, partly to say something, partly to nip on the already cooled tea, it happened.

A loud thunder sounded, louder than any normal storm could do it. Both sisters look up the sky. “There shouldn’t be a storm in Canterlot. Had the weather pony done a mistake?” Celestia asks, but Luna didn’t answer, she simply point her hoof in the sky, direct on her moon.

Celestia was shocked… the moon wasn’t his usually white color, instead, he was in a deep crimson red, with cracks all over it. She looks into Luna’s face and she in her. Both had seen this moon once… the night before the abduction.

Celestia turns to the doors of her balcony, ready to scream alert, when suddenly horns sound up, the night guards had seen the moon too and know the procedure.

Without another word both alicorn fly of the balcony down to the yard. As soon as their hooves touch the ground the first guards, already in battle armor stand information. Some unicorn levitates the armors of the sister with them and in no time the sisters were armored and lead the troops outside.

After only a few minutes of quick fly, the sister arrived with the pegasi guards outside of Canterlot on a plain. The unicorns and earth pony guards arrived a bit later, but only a few minutes, as they used new kinds of air transporters. They were new technic the diarchess had added to the guards’ equipment, as the event had shown them the technology difference between them and the invasions. Not wanting to be too far behind new technology were developed, such as airships like this transporter.

So Celestia, Luna and the guards are on the plain, taking battle formation. One by one the lieutenants of the platoons came and make a report. One of the lieutenants was a crippled bat pony. Midnight never left the guard, after she was healed up, instead, she learned to fight on the ground. “All platoons are ready princess. Let give them a really nice entrance.” She said with a clear intent of violence in her voice.

Celestia notices it still, she secretly welcomes this tone. She wanted to fight against the invaders again, but this time take them prisoners and then be able to go to their world and retrieve her student.

Just as Midnight finished her report, another loud thunder sounded and the cracks on the moon start to grow. They grow bigger and bigger until a crack in the sky appears. The crack was several hundred feet over the ground, also the single crack was smaller than Celestia anticipated.

But she had learned and now she was don’t let her guard down. She shared a quick glance at her sister and together they shoot magic blasts into the crack, after a second the unicorn did the same. They all shot a couple of blasts into the crack before the crack starts to warp and shift itself, as it seemingly became unstable.

The first cries of joy came up but were quickly silenced when out of the breath shot a big blast, bigger than any blast they had fired in. In a matter of mere moments, the alicorns as well as the unicorns cast shield spells over the troops.

Celestia and Luna put all focus in the shield, that other guards had seen how more blast shots out of the crack before it collapses. But unlike the first blast, he seemingly heads to them, the other blasts shoot in all directions, into north, east, west, and south.

The first blast came nearer and hit the big barrier the sister had cast. For a moment, it seems that it will penetrate, before the spell wins in this duel and the blast was deflected. It changes course and hit a few dozen meters before the lines the ground, where it splashed in a small explosion.

“Princesses the blast had hit the ground. The other flew all over the land. I have given orders for scouts to search for them. In the crater seem to be somepony.” Midnight reported as soon as the explosion faded, allowing a view at the crater.

Luna picks up a sword with her magic. “With me Midnight. Let us take the one here.” With this the dark blue alicorn charges of, with Midnight and her platoon on her heels. Shortly after the other platoons charge at the blast

In no time, they were near the crater, one bat guard was even faster and had landed on the edge. But instead of charging in he merely stands there, his face clearly shows a shocked face. Luna and Midnight both stopped with some effort besides him, while the other guards stop behind them.

As soon as Midnight stood still she found her voice. “Artemis, what in the bucking name of Luna…” She shouted in her drill voice, but Artemis simple silence her by pointing in the crater.

And what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. A foreign pony, a stallion stands in the crater, scorch marks around him, indicating that he came out of the magic blast. The stallion, a seemingly white unicorn, with a short yellow man, was not harmed by the magic fire around him.

Midnight had problems to identify him, as this stallion was different. He was slightly taller than the normal stallion, but mostly he was covered in some sort of cloth. The cloth something between a uniform and an overall was battered and in some part shredded, still, it was mostly intact and cover him up. On his back, he had some sort of bag, but what was most shocking, was the fact that he stands on his hind legs without seemingly any effort.

He coughs a bit and carefully takes some steps forward, moving with a grace that showing that he had years of training in walking bipedally. After a few more coughs Midnight hears him speaking and after a few seconds, she couldn’t believe what she hears. The unknown stallion speaks in common Equus, still, he hears his accent, as his tone and flow of speaking was harder than the normal soft flow.

At first, she had problems to make out what he says, but after a few more seconds she realizes that he didn’t really speak a coherent sentence… he was ranting.

“Uh… easy thing… just walking through and everything will be fine… bucking idiot... if this his definition of easy… bucking shithead… he has more than a loose screw… buck… the entire engine should be broken and send into a furnace… making him into something more useful… oh buck… like a Faust damned steel road to beat him to death… oh buck double and tribble… “he seemingly ranted on and on, surprising all witnesses how a single stallion can use some many creative swear words. Some of them even make the normally tough guard blush in shame. They couldn’t believe what the stallion just says.

“He wants to do what with somepony hooves?” One guard quietly asks another one.

“I think ripping them off and shove him up his … oh sweet Celestia…” came the hushed answer from the guard next to him.

Midnight was equal shocked, but more at his overall appearance than his ranting ability. Everyone was so absorbed, that they were shocked when she suddenly stopped his ranting but shouting out. “I can see you damn lot. I’m on the verge edge of breaking down, so if some…bucking… one could be so nice and help me with this little bundle overhear I swear … by all things sacred by Faust… “He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as suddenly a magic blast flew past the guards, past Midnight and past Luna, who didn’t cast the spell.

The blast hit the stranger in his upper torso, near the base of his neck. He staggered for a moment. “You got to be kidding me.” And with that, his starts to fall back to the ground.

As soon as he hit the ground, “special hard” Midnight though, she became aware of the bundle of lumps in his arms. Even after he was hit by a deaden spell and was cold out, he has a thigh grip around the bundle.

In no time Celestia was near him. She had casted the spell. Luna and Midnight wasted no time and rushed to her side. “Sister, why had you cast the spell?” Luna asked in a worried voice. Celestia simply pointed to the stallion.

Now that he lay still and was silence both alicorn and bat pony look at him and see that he had carried a bundle of lumps in his hooves. Both briefly wondered from where this bundle comes, but quickly realize that he had it the whole time, the ranting had simply draught all attention from everything else.

Still, they wondered why this bundle made Celestia attack him, but after a quick glance, they seemingly found the answer… A strand of blue and purple hair stuck out of the bundle. “Are these…?” Midnight stutters her words; the tough guard was without words.

A golden aura appeared on the lump, carefully unwrap was inside. In just a few moments it becomes clear that a pony was inside the bundle and after a more second of unpacking the face became visible.

As all of the three see the face, all were taken back. Midnight simply stares with a gaping maw, Luna has her hooves before her maw, her eyes shivers. “Sister, see I right… is that?” she asks her sister. Said alicorn looks at the pony, tears rolling down her face and she didn’t bother to wipe them away. “Yes, she is it.”

Celestia couldn’t believe her eyes. She still feels that tears are coming from her eyes, but she didn’t care about them. So instead of wiping them away, she allows them to fall down on the head of the pony.

That may be inappropriate for the sun diarchess, but at this moment Celestia wasn’t the monarch of the land, she was the mare Celestia, whose heart overflow with happiness. Because the pony in the bundle of lumps, in the hold of a strange stallion, lays her former student and fellow princess, who had been captured a year ago.

She bows down and presses her lips on the forehead of the lavender colored alicorn. “Welcome home Twilight Sparkle. “